


Batwoman: Queen of Phantoms

by Caivu



Category: Batman (Comics), Batwoman (Comic), DCU, DCU (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Canon Continuation, Covert Operation, Gen, Language, Missions, Undercover Missions, Violence, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2019-08-07 03:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16400366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caivu/pseuds/Caivu
Summary: Three months have passed since the Night of the Red Plague. After suffering through great mental and physical hardships, Kate Kane is finally returning to some sort of normalcy.She's back together with Renee Montoya. Her sister Beth is being treated. She's happier than she's ever been.Which means that Tahani, the perpetrator of Kate's recent torments, is set to strike again and ruin Kate's life once more.----Begins immediately after the final Kate/Renee scene inBatwoman(2017) #18.





	1. Chapter 1

"Give it three hours," Renee called to Kate from her window. "We’ll make it lunch."

"Will do," Kate replied as her taxi pulled up to the curb. "Give those robbers hell!"

She got in the cab and gave the driver her address, then waved again as the car pulled away. Renee returned it, beaming. Maybe this would work, after all.

Kate’s smile faded as she turned her attention to what Julia had just texted her. New villain, apparently.

She brought up the BBC News app on her phone, plucked a wireless earbud from the breast pocket of her red jacket.

The top headline blared BREAKING: U.K. CITIES TARGETED IN TAPED MANIFESTO in large font. Kate tapped over to the LIVE tab, waited for the video to buffer.

New villain. Probably not Tahani, then, which was... good? Or not? Regardless, she was still out there somewhere, and a video would at least give some hint to what she was planning. Because no doubt she was-

"-have 24 hours to comply starting with the first airing of this message," a woman was saying onscreen. "Do not disappoint me. I do the work of God, and God is not mocked."

Kate absorbed the details of the scene in just a few seconds. Not much to go on: night, likely rural due to clear stars and lack of artificial lights in the background, and a large bonfire between the camera and the speaker, the rising warm air slightly distorting her features. Filmed with a tripod, or at least not handheld.

The woman herself looked ridiculous: dressed in an orange, flame-pattern ball gown with a neckline that plunged to mid-chest. Similarly-styled hair. Decent athletic build, maybe 5’8”. Thirtyish. Some sort of Mediterranean accent. Theatrical.

Most troublingly, however: she appeared to be standing in front of a mobile launch platform.

And then the feed cut back to Kate Silverton in the BBC newsroom.

"Disturbing video indeed," she said. "Again, for those of you just joining us, several cities in the U.K. have been threatened by a woman calling herself 'Abbadonia' in retaliation for the elimination of the so-called Kali Corporation, who earlier this year were exposed as the front for the terrorist weapons supplier known as The Many Arms of Death. Abbadonia names the American vigilante Batwoman as the individual responsible for this exposure, and has given a 24-hour timetable for Batwoman to meet with her before carrying out this attack. We can confirm that MI6 is currently investigating, and the BBC will keep you up-to-date as this story develops."

Camera switch. "In other news-"

Kate exited the app.

 _Abbadonia_ , she thought. _The Destroyeress_. Good a name as any for a villain, she supposed.

 _Seems to think she's... what, the actual angel?_ And in an odd Jehovah's Witness interpretation, if her memory was correct.

She opened her messaging app to reply to Julia.

 _Saw the tail end_ , she typed. _Headed home, you can fill me in then._

 _Accidental rhyme_ , Julia sent back seconds later.

Kate sighed. Always something.

\----

Kate entered her apartment to the smell of brewing coffee and the unmistakable rat-a-tat of her speedbag, mounted on the nearest north wall.

"Sounding good, Julia!" she called as she reached the top of the stairs. She headed toward the kitchen, tossing her duffle bag on the dining table. A box of donuts sat on her island countertop.

Julia rounded the corner into the south hall a moment later, dressed in workout gear and drenched in sweat.

"Seriously," Kate said, "did that bag steal your lunch money or something?"

"Heh,” Julia panted. "Just have to be prepared to hold down the fort while you’re away again."

"I do have _guns_ , y’know," Kate said, opening the fridge. She smirked. "Of several types. Thanks for getting breakfast, by the way."

"No worries."

Kate glanced to her right into the west hall where Beth’s temporary quarters had been set up. Through the thick plexiglass, Kate saw her twin dozing on a sofa. That was normal; she usually wasn’t up before 8 AM.

"Grape, fruit punch, or blue?" Kate asked, referring to the rows of Gatorade filling the middle shelf of the fridge.

"Blue," Julia replied. “I went so hard just now that I believe I’ve developed synesthesia, and I want to test that theory."

Kate lobbed her one. "So," she said, leaning on the island, "Abbadonia. Anything in that video I need to see?" She peeked at the donuts; a dozen standard glazed.

Julia had already drained half the bottle. "Doubtful, honestly." She wiped her mouth. "Blames you for hindering her operations, whatever the bloody hell that means. Yap, yap, yap. I’ve got what’s left of your computers running face and voice recognition, cross-checking against Kali’s sales and shipping records we pulled..." She shrugged. "And I'm guessing Batman's doing something along the same lines. As are MIs 5 and 6. We'll get something. But for now, we wait."

"I was gonna do that anyway," Kate said. "Got a lunch-"

A loud yawn interrupted her, followed by a series of joint pops. Beth had woken up.

“’Morning, sleepyhead,” said Kate, sitting at the table next to the glass.

“Good morning," Beth said. She rubbed her temples and yawned again. "Ooh… I was up _awfully_ late to be up so early."

"Runs in the family, it seems," said Julia. She finished her drink and tossed it in the trash. "If you’ll excuse me, I need to go rinse off." She started off toward the bathroom.

"Hey, how'd your theory pan out?" Kate asked.

Julia turned, kept walking. "Inconclusive,” she replied.

"Well, hurry back before we eat all these doughnuts," Kate teased.

Beth perked up. "Doughnuts?"

\----

They ate mostly in silence as Julia showered. Many of Kate's mornings recently had been like this: watching the late sunrise and breakfasting with her twin, the quiet a mark of their comfort with each other. They were valued moments of peace in a largely violent life.

"So, did you have an adventure?" Beth finally asked between bites.

Kate nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I'd say I did.” She grinned. “Complete with the whole ‘get the girl’ thing at the end.”

"Oh, wonderful!" Beth said. “I would very much like to meet her."

Kate smiled. “I think she'd like to meet you, too.”

“It was the suit that did it, I'll bet,” Beth said.

“Y'know, you might just be right.” She sipped her coffee. It  _was_ a damn fine suit, and Beth had done an excellent job with the tailoring.

“So you and Detective Montoya rekindled, eh?” Julia asked, returning to the kitchen, dressed in one of Kate's robes. She poured herself a mug.

“Sure did. Got our 'first' date this afternoon,” Kate said.

Julia sighed, and Kate thought she detected a flicker of disappointment.

"Well… just make sure you two leave out the pillow talk over comms," Julia said. “It was bad enough when I had to listen to your cousin and his runaway bride.”

“No promises,” Kate said. She sipped her coffee again. “Speaking of adventures… Beth, I need you to know I'm going on a long one soon. And Julia may be going with me.”

Julia raised her eyebrows as she sat. “You sure? I know I've got some stakes in this too, but _you_ were called out personally.”

"Never hurts to have backup in the field," Kate said. She smirked. “Unless there's some new reason I shouldn't trust you.”

Julia looked away.

“How long?” Beth asked.

“Probably at least a week,” Kate said. “Probably less than a month. Could be leaving as soon as tonight.”

Beth frowned. “I wish you didn't have to,” she said.

“I know,” Kate said, and she felt a pang of memory, how Jacob had been away so often when they were kids, and how the necessity of it did little to lessen that hurt. “But you won't be alone. I'll call dad, or Catherine, or Zatanna. Maybe all of them. At the very least, Julia will be here if no one else can.”

“Absolutely,” Julia said.

Beth sighed. “All right…”

Kate's phone buzzed.

“It’s Bruce,” she said, reading the screen. “Wants to see me in person. Now.”

 _As if there's not enough to do today_ , she thought.

“Mmm, I wonder what about,” Julia said.

“Nothing I need to run halfway across town for,” Kate said, punching in Bruce's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Kate. You called." Flat, tired.

Bruce had been throwing himself at his work even more than usual lately, distracting himself from his failed engagement. Kate didn't know all the details, but she knew enough to be delicate here. She could relate, after all.

"Hello, cousin Bruce!" exclaimed Beth.

A pause. "Good morning... Beth," Bruce said. It was the first time he had spoken to Beth since Tahani's attack three months ago.

"I guess you should know you're on speaker," said Kate. "Julia's here, too. You saw the thing on BBC, I guess."

Bruce sighed, a quiet sound that somehow filled the room. "Abbadonia is Eva Panagakos. Thirty-one. Former Hellenic Army, received a psychological discharge in 2013. Been a mercenary ever since, and now... this."

"Show-off," Julia teased. "You have the location, too?"

"No," said Bruce.

 _Easy_ , Kate mouthed to Julia. Julia sat back and sipped her coffee.

"You know what this means, Bruce," said Kate. "I know you want us all here working cold cases... but she specifically mentioned _me_. And I don't exactly have much time to hem and haw."

"I understand. But... don't go as Batwoman."

Kate and Julia shared a glance.

 _Plausible deniability_ , Kate thought.

 "Batman and his allies don't negotiate with terrorists," she said.

"Exactly. You're a soldier, Kate. Go in that capacity."

Julia raised her eyebrows again.

"Within reason, you mean," said Kate.

Bruce's voice took a cold edge. "I didn't think I had to specify 'no kills.'"

"You didn't," Kate replied. "But you should also know by now I won't ever promise you that, Bruce. Only that if I do, there's a good reason for it."

Bruce scoffed. "A good reason..."

 _Shit_ , Kate thought. An argument wasn't what she needed right now. Bruce _definitely_ didn't.

"Look," she said, "this won't be any different than usual other than me not wearing the suit. _That's_ my promise."

Silence on the line for a moment.

"Two strikes," Bruce reminded her, and hung up.

Kate almost rolled her eyes. That crap may have worked on her a few months ago, but not anymore. Let him _try_ to stop her being Batwoman, if, God forbid, things came to that.

"Was that a yes?" Julia asked.

"Does it matter?" Kate replied. She drained the last of her coffee. "I need to make some more calls. Would you please go check if there's any updates?"

"Sure." Julia stood and left for the panic room.

Kate scrolled through her contact list, thoughts buzzing with the new information she'd received. A Greek mercenary within ballistic range of the UK...

"He sounded so sad," Beth said, muffled by her sleeves. Sometime during the call, she had laid her head down on her crossed arms.

Kate offered a similar sort of smile as she dialed Jacob. "He's just going through a lot right now. More than usual. But he's always been sort of blue, hasn't he?"

Beth sighed. "I suppose."

One ring. Two.

Julia came back. "Narrowed down the launcher type. It's a HIMARS. Maximum range of 300 kilometers."

 _Dammit_ , Kate thought. That was an Army weapon system. Abbadonia couldn't know who she actually was... could she? Whatever the case, it was insult to more insult.

"Well," she sighed, "that's something, at least-"

"Kate?" Jacob answered in her ear.

"Ah, hey, Dad," Kate said. "I have something I could use your help with..."

\----

Setting up the logistics of Beth's supervision took the better part of an hour, with Kate pacing the length of the east hall, cordless handset to her ear. She stopped counting laps after she hit 30.

Jacob and Catherine were still dealing with the cleanup and restoration of Kane Manor (severely damaged by Hurricane Milton the previous year, and later by the actions of Ulysses Armstrong), and this would hinder that process. They themselves were under significant strain from both that process and Jacob's frequent absences due to Colony work... and the later revelations of his role after the Colony's dissolution.

But in the end, both he and Catherine, who had joined the line several minutes in, had agreed. At least one of them would be around the the apartment by about 1 o'clock.

Zatanna had been much easier to convince, since she was already Beth's therapist of sorts. She would keep to the same schedule as normal: hour sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

With everything sorted, Kate dropped the phone back on its dock and slumped into a chair at the dining table, groaning. She hadn't slept since yesterday.

"That didn't sound healthy," said Julia, looking up from a game of chess she and Beth had started. Her pile of captured white pieces was larger than Beth's, but contained fewer key ones.

"Probably not," yawned Kate. "And I still need to-"

Another text interrupted her, this time from Renee.

 _Done here_ , it read. _Ready when you are. Korean ok?_

"Need to what? Sleep?" Julia asked.

"Well, _yes_ , but my schedule just got moved up." She began typing a reply.

_Sounds good. I know a place in Burnside. Pick you up in a half-hour?_

"Everything set for tonight, at least?" Julia asked.

"Mmm-hmm. All we need is Abbadonia's location," said Kate. She briefed them on her calls, then stood and stretched.

Her phone buzzed again; Renee had sent a thumbs-up emoji and a heart.

"All right, Kate said, "I'm headed out after I shower. If Korean sounds good, I can bring you guys something."

"Ooh," said Beth. "I don't believe I've ever had that."

"Might as well make it two," added Julia.

"I'll text you the menu, then," Kate said, and headed for the bathroom.

She dozed lightly in the shower, just enough to get a glimmer of rest but stay standing. Residual visions from her exposure to Kairos wafted through her mind, as if aided by the steam. In all of them, no matter what, Renee was there with her, and they were happy.

Tempting. Certainly better than her fear toxin hallucinations that had only dissipated the previous week.

Kate shook her head to clear it. No. If she wanted the future the drug foretold, she would work for it herself.

Beth was laughing when Kate, robed, padded back to the corner cubicle that served as her bedroom. Kate glanced toward the dining area and saw Julia hunched over the chess board, clutching her head in mock frustration.

"You win, Beth?" Kate called.

"Indeed!" she replied. "And it was quite elegant."

"Got me with a bloody castling," said Julia, chuckling. "Best of three?"

"Please," Beth said.

They set up again as Kate dressed; a casual dark blazer and slacks, loafers, and, as always, a knife clipped to her waistband. A quick spritz of Splendia, and she was ready.

 _Now, which car?_ she thought, looking at a tree stand of key fobs on her vanity. Many options, but there was really only one choice.

\----

Renee chuckled when Kate pulled up in front of her building several minutes later, driving the very same yellow Porsche Renee had pulled her over in the first time they'd met. She sauntered to the car, dressed in a sleeveless white blouse and dark jeans.

"Have you been drinking this morning, Ms. Kane?" she asked, leaning on the passenger door with a grin. Her hair was down, scented and flowing over her shoulders.

"Not yet," Kate replied. "You offering to buy me one?"

"I just might," said Renee, hopping in. Kate gunned away from the curb as soon as she was buckled up.

"So, how was the robbery?" Kate asked.

Renee shrugged. "Pretty standard. Whole thing was almost over by the time I got there."

"Small favors."

"Mmm. Odd thing, though: the suspects were all shapeshifters. Werepeople."

Kate frowned. "Not their usual tack."

"No. Might be something for you to look into."

"Probably not for a while," Kate said. She briefly explained the situation with Abbadonia, and how Julia would be accompanying her overseas.

Renee chuckled again she was finished. "Damn it all," she said. "Does _every_ woman want a piece of you?"

\----

The Sunday rush hadn’t started when they arrived at Byeul, a trendy Korean place right on the river. In the farthest booth from the door, almost in shadow, they caught up with each other’s recent history as they ate. Renee told of her retransfer to Gotham and how boring Blüdhaven had been in comparison, and filled in the gaps of what Kate already knew.

She herself of course already knew some of what Kate had been up to, like her work with the Knights, but sat in rapt attention as she relayed the events of her global mission. Kate left nothing out, except how exactly she had stopped Batman; partially to protect Bruce's identity, partly out of shame. It took almost the whole meal.

“And, well... I’ve basically just been tackling pockets of the Religion of Crime lately,” Kate finished, her food half-eaten. “Seeing that Beth is cared for. And now this BBC thing.”

Renee whistled low, pushing her empty plate near the edge of the table. “Sounds like you were in bad shape there for a while.”

“Did a number on me, for sure. Still don’t know if I’m all through it yet.”

Renee started to speak, but Kate cut her off with a teasing finger wag.

“And yes, I know about Dr. Huss. I’ve seen him a few times since.” It was true, and a big part of why she was doing so well now.

Renee relaxed. “Good. That’s good.” She sipped her soda. “So... what happened to Tahani? That seems to be a loose end. And I think I’d remember seeing her in lockup.”

“She escaped.”

Renee blinked. “Escaped? What, did she cut off her hand?”

“Didn’t see it.”

“Then what?”

Kate bit her lip. “At the time, I was willing to let her go to take care of Beth. To... stop chasing the past, as she had baited me into doing.”

“You came to your senses on that, I hope.”

"I suppose," Kate said. "There's been enough time to get some perspective, to leech the poison from me. But I was still beating myself up about dumb shit as recently as yesterday." She took a swig of beer. "Things that the future Tim said, things I thought _dad_ said because of the fear toxin. I was even still questioning the whole Clayface thing. Like _I_ had fucked up by saving even one life."

"So what changed?" Renee asked. "Kairos?"

Kate sighed. "It's gonna sound bad, but... that dose... it helped me realize that all that time I thought I'd wasted wasn't a waste. That those 'failures' really weren't."

Renee gave her a look. "Kinda dangerous."

"I know. But for a one-off thing, to fully clean all that bullshit outta my head... it worked." She smiled. "Hell, look where I am now."

Renee blushed. "And your sister's doing well, too..."

Kate nodded. "Much as she can be. But still it just...  _feels_ like something should be going wrong. Subtle, but it's there."

"I mean, if this fire lady is making moves against you, no reason to think Tahani still isn’t."

"Hell, they’re both tied to the Many Arms, so why not?" Kate said. "For all I know, this is just more bait.”

"Should _I_ be worried?"

Kate frowned. “I'd be extra-cautious until she’s dealt with. Whatever form that takes.”

Renee raised an eyebrow. “The cautiousness or the dealing-with?”

"Both," Kate said. She sighed. "Dammit. Now I’m starting to second-guess this." She gestured to indicate the pair of them.

Renee gave one of Kate’s hands a squeeze. "Don’t. Last time I checked, guns beat knives."

"And I’d prefer it not come to that." Kate took a swig of her beer. "I just have no leads right now. Or the last three months."

"Well," Renee said, draining her drink, "when you get some, be sure to kick her ass extra hard for me. She sounds like a real bitch."

Kate smirked. "Roger that."

\----

The sky had grown pleasantly overcast during lunch; enough to keep the temperature mild, not enough to threaten rain. Perfect convertible weather, and Kate took advantage of it, following a winding route back to Renee's place, two takeout boxes in the back seat. Julia hadn't contacted her with any updates, so a lazy Sunday drive with a date was as good a way to kill time as any, especially with the woman she loved. It was all almost enough to forget they were in Gotham.

Finally, they arrived back at Renee's building, and Kate walked her to the door.

"Have a good time?" she asked.

"Of course," Renee said. " _Way_ better than our actual first date. Real food, not bar pretzels."

"Hey, they were _good_ bar pretzels," Kate teased. They stopped at the front door.

"I wanna do this again," she added.

Renee wrapped her arms around Kate's shoulders. "Then come back in one piece, okay?"

She leaned in, and they kissed. It had been years since that had happened, but it came back like nothing at all.

They broke off after a moment, foreheads touching.

"I'll be fine," Kate said. " _You're_ the one who'll still be... y'know, _here_."

Renee smiled. "Still... _I_ wanna do this again, too. I like seeing you all starry-eyed."

Kate blinked, realizing something.

"Stars..." she whispered.

_The sky in the video._

Renee looked puzzled. "What?"

Now it was Kate's turn to kiss _her_.

"Dammit, Kate," Renee sputtered once free, flustered but smiling. "What is it?"

"I think you just gave me my lead," Kate said. "It's... kind of lot to explain."

Renee nodded slowly. "Hell yeah. I'll leave you to it, then." Another hug. "Be safe."

"You too."

It was another few moments before they separated. Renee stayed on the stoop as Kate returned to her Porsche and hopped in. Kate noticed her face had taken a more serious cast.

"Be thinking about where we should go next time," Kate called, turning the ignition. "We'll celebrate when I get back!"

Renee brightened a little at that. "Deal!" she replied.

With a wave, Kate gunned the engine and peeled out. She kept an eye on Renee's own outstretched arm in the mirrors until the end of the block, where she disappeared into a speck.

At the stop sign, she dialed Julia.

"On my way back," Kate said when she picked up. "Any news?"

"Nothing still."

"I'm got something to try, then. Brighten the video. Look at the sky."

Julia gave a small gasp. "Match up star charts. Brilliant."

"You can thank Renee for that one."

"All right, I'll give it a quick go. Call you back soon. Let's hope it wasn't cloudy."

She hung up, and Kate sped on, mind racing, running through potential locations within range of London. Parts of the Netherlands and Belgium, a fair chunk of France, surely a bit of Ireland... to say nothing of the possibility of the launcher being in Great Britain itself. Or on some speck of an island off the coast.

And even all of  _that_ was assuming Abbadonia didn't, or wouldn't, drive the damned thing somewhere else... or worse, load it onto a ship.

 _Even halving the list will help_ , she thought. 

She noticed Jacob's SUV as she pulled into her building's underground parking garage. Early. Good. The sooner she and Julia could leave, the better.

Her phone buzzed in the freight elevator up to the panic room. Julia again, but being so close, she ignored it. And besides, her hands were full with the food, still a bit warm.

Moments later, she ducked out of the car as the doors raised.

"Northern Belgium," Julia said. She had changed into olive drab tactical pants, a black turtleneck, and boots, and had an array of equipment spread on the floor before her. Stun grenades, gas masks, ballistic vests, infrared and night vision goggles, prototype grapnel guns, knives, holsters, rifles, pistols, shotguns, nonlethal rounds, face masks. Cases or bags for all of it.

Kate sighed. "They're definitely prodding me, all right. Anything more specific?"

"About 20 klicks east of Antwerp, in Lille. Looks like a farm. Big field, lots of trees nearby. You think Abbadonia knows you?"

"No," Kate said, setting Julia's meal on the main computer desk. "But Tahani's fingerprints are all over this. I think _she_ just told her where to go. Nothing from the MIs?"

"Nothing useful." Julia snapped closed the clasps of a gun case. "You saw your dad's here?"

"Mmm-hmm. Be back in a sec. There's chopsticks in the box."

She found her father seated at the dining table sipping a coffee, chatting with Beth, seated across from him. She usually elected to remain in her plexiglass quarters as much as possible, but despite appearances, Beth was no prisoner, and had free access to the main apartment. Kate had gathered that this had been standard for her during her years of institutionalized care, as her therapy had progressed and Beth herself had improved.

Jacob noticed Kate first. "Ah. Looks like your lunch's here."

"Sure is," Kate replied, handing Beth her meal.

"Wonderful!" Beth exclaimed, opening the lid and inhaling the smell of japchae. "It looks lovely, thank you."

"Of course. You need more than that coffee, Dad?" Kate asked.

He shook his head. "Already ate." Draining the mug, he stood. "Gotta go talk some shop, Beth."

She winked, wadding the plastic chopsticks wrapper onto the table. "Then you're excused, sir."

With that, Kate and her father rounded the corner into the east hall, and spoke in hushed tones.

"She's gotten so much better," Jacob said.

"Yeah. It's been delicate, this whole thing, but... yeah. 'Kane women are made of granite,' right?" 

"That they are."

Kate crossed her arms. "Catherine's coming over later?"

"Mmm-hmm. Just got held up by some work thing. The bank where Kane Industries has some main accounts got robbed this morning. They don't _think_ anything was taken, but those are always a mess."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "No kidding. Renee got called into that."

"Huh. Well, sounds like you have a job for when you get back."

Kate smirked. "She said the same thing."

"Speaking of 'getting back,'" Jacob said, "your mission spec looks good. Got a lot of intel on short notice."

In the background, Kate heard her microwave beep, and a muffled conversation; Julia had joined Beth.

"Been a bit of a whirlwind." She shrugged. "But most of it was just waiting. And it seems pretty straightforward: go and smash some shit."

"Well, you know the saying about plans and first contact," Jacob said. He crossed his arms as well. "Julia says this could be related to your previous mission. About the woman who took Beth."

"Lookin' that way," Kate nodded. She could tell where this was going. "If you're worried about this being revenge..." She shook her head. "It's not. She and whatever else is left of those bastards have plenty of other things to answer for without this getting personal. Even if they _did_ name me specifically."

It was true. If Tahani really _was_ at the root of this new threat, taking things personally would do her no favors; it would be playing right into her hands again.

"Oh, they can still answer for Beth," Jacob said with a slight smile. "Those aren't contradictory stances."

_Maybe_ , Kate thought. She listened a moment, hearing Beth chattering to Julia in what sounded like French; showing off more of what she had been learning to occupy her days. It was a fine tightrope, the dispensing of justice without teetering into revenge, but Kate knew she could do it. She had before, plenty of times.

"I don't suppose you'll wait for Catherine?"

Kate scoffed. "With this time limit? Hardly. Leaving as soon as the airship's loaded."

"Then you best get to it, soldier," Jacob said.

They returned to the dining room. Beth munched on a soegogi-jeon, and Julia was in the middle of tossing out her food container; she must've wolfed it down, Kate thought.  


"Good?" Kate asked.

"Not bad," said Julia. She headed back toward the panic room. "Ready when you are."

"If you'll take the airship to the docks," Kate said, "I'll load one of our vans and meet you there in twenty." Kane Industries owned a fleet of branded vehicles and stored some of them in a private area of the basement parking garage. It would be tight, but all the packed cases would fit in one of the Chevy Expresses.

"All right. Nice meeting you, Colonel," she said with a nod. Jacob returned it, and Julia exited with a pat on Beth's shoulder.  


"Be safe!" Beth called into the panic room.  


"We'll see!" came the reply.

Beth stood and hugged Kate, her expression falling. "And _you_ , too."

Kate returned it, and felt her father embrace them both. She wondered when they all had last hugged like this. Quite a while, probably, but at least it had not been for a lack of love.  


"I will," Kate said. "And I'll be back before you know it."

She kissed Beth's forehead and slipped out of her sister's and father's arms. Inside the panic room, she faced them again and waved before sealing the double doors. They smiled and waved back, and then thick metal closed them off with a series of hydraulic hisses.

It felt so uncomfortably... final.

Kate recognized it for what it was: the simple fact that international missions were still relatively new to her, even with all her experience. Even though Gotham was still full of danger and she knew that any given night in the city could be her last. That same feeling of uncertainty had happened when she first went after the Many Arms, and again when she resumed that mission after she had killed Clayface. Given enough time, she would get used to it, would soldier on, just as she had approached everything else life had thrown at her. But that time was still not quite yet.

_And anyway_ , she thought as she stripped to change into mission-appropriate clothing, _an extra dose of caution never hurts._

Kate opened a lower drawer beneath her gun cabinet. Inside, she found a folded outfit identical to what Julia was wearing, with activewear undergarments to go with it. Fine.

She heard the low rumble of the airship gliding away as she finished tying her boots, and double-checked the ceiling entry hatch. Locked.  


The panic room secured, she began the task of loading.

\----

Kate pulled up to the docks with two minutes to spare. The packing had gone smoothly, though the ride in the freight elevator had been cramped. Her back and arms were a bit sore from lifting, but that was no matter. She had made only one addition to the gear Julia had assembled: a spare set of her Batwoman gauntlets, still raw and unpainted, but otherwise fully functional apart from the detachable thorns, which were absent. They were somewhat of a giveaway, but simply too useful to leave behind.  


She drove to her family's private jetty, a secluded area away from the main docks. Julia met her as she slowed the van near the end of the pier, and she rolled her window down.

"Gonna just take the whole thing on board," Kate said.

"Sure," said Julia. "Ramp's extended. Straight ahead."

She climbed inside, and Kate eased the van forward toward an invisible target. About five feet from the end of the dock, there was a small bump, and the van angled upward. This part was somewhat risky, but the privacy of the jetty would hide an apparently floating van. Besides, it was only a matter of a few seconds.  


The van leveled off, and then the interior hold of the airship became visible as they passed through the camouflage barrier. A cramped space, not much larger than the van itself, in the standard Colony design aesthetic. Kate shut the van off and, without a word, she and Julia exited, all business now. 

After chocking the van's wheels, they headed for the cockpit. Julia lead, and hit a button marked with an upward arrow on her way to the ladder to the higher decks. Behind them, a soft metallic whine as the cargo ramp lifted.  


"Got the autopilot set up," said Julia, settling into the pilot's chair. "I'll bring us up to cruising altitude a little way out to sea, and then have it take over."

Kate buckled into the copilot's seat. "How'd she handle?" she asked. "When I flew her back to my place the other day, she seemed... rough." 

That had been previous Monday, when Kate had offered Julia this new position after locating her in the Cauldron. Julia had hidden there since the Night of the Red Plague, with the airship stowed above her ramshackle apartment building, cloaked in a low-power hover.

"The docking clamps were open," Julia said. "May have been drag. I closed them, didn't notice any problems just now."

"All right. As long as she doesn't fritz out on us. What's the ETA?"

"0200 local." Julia started the engines.

Kate did the time conversion in her head. "So about eight hours flying," she said, thinking aloud. It was just now noon here. "Roughly twelve to work." It seemed like a long time, but if they were wrong about the location...

_ At least it's not just us working on this_ , Kate reminded herself.

As if reading her mind, Julia replied, "Plenty of time to take down a ballgowned freak. One would think."

"Been there," Kate said. "Not necessarily as easy as it might seem."

Julia eased the ship up and out over the bay, turning east. Soon even the water below them faded, and all outside was sky.

\----

** Gotham Cty. **

**Sunday, 2012 Romeo. **

For such a dark city, nights in Gotham took a long time to fall. It was something Tahani had gotten used to in the months she had spent in hiding.

She had kept up surveillance on the red vermin, of course. Not closely, but enough to follow her daily routines. She had wanted to savor her handiwork, the havok she had wreaked on Kate Kane's mind.

But if she was honest, there was no joy to be found there. Kane was so damnably... _resilient_.

She had been back in her ridiculous Batwoman persona mere days after the Night of the Red Plague, after the specific intent of making that symbol an anathema to her. That had failed. She'd gone on to join, perhaps even _lead_ , her father's military unit, and who knew what they'd been up to. And then had been fully back as Batwoman for months now, almost as if nothing had happened.

And her _sister!_ She astonished Tahani most of all. She had figured it would be easy to revert Beth Kane back to her Alice persona, and it had been; the logs from her experimentation had not been easy to find, but the process itself was straightforward. And she had also expected the change to be more permanent, especially after repeated reversions. But no, even the apparent weaker of the twins still had a mind and a will like steel.

Tahani was looking at years of work gone in a matter of weeks, with nothing to show for it except a welding scar on her forearm. But she was nothing if not patient, and today that patience had paid off. If she couldn't use family... then perhaps a lover would do.

That was where she found herself well after dark: on the roof of the building where the GCPD's Detective Montoya had an apartment. Tahani knew Kate was well out of the city by now; that was its own separate bait, and the last-minute addition of the detective would just be an extra bit of excitement.

Finally, after 10 o'clock, a ratty sedan stopped in front of the building. Tahani peeked over the edge of the roof. Detective Montoya's slob of a partner, Bullock, was driving. Montoya herself exited from the passenger's seat, a gym bag on her shoulder. They exchanged banter, and then Montoya ascended the steps and went in. The car drove away.

Tahani waited, still and quiet. She knew she was directly above Montoya's apartment.

After a few moments, she lifted herself over the edge of the building and used the brickwork to descend to the second floor window sill. Once there, she took a quick note of the layout: only a living room and a small kitchen beyond it were visible to her. That was all she would need.

Montoya seemed to doze on a sofa, no doubt tired after her shift. Perfect.

Balancing herself, Tahani took a small EMP device from her belt.

_ Let's see who your lover cares about more_ , she thought. _You, or the masses._  


She pressed the button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone has to mine that gold at the end of Batwoman #18, right? Because who knows if it'll ever be officially followed up on. Might as well be me, as pompous as that sounds. I just want all those loose ends tied up.
> 
> This is absolutely a work in progress right now.
> 
> I have no idea how often this will be updated, or exactly how long it'll be, but I do intend that each chapter is equal to one standard comic issue. The rating and tags will definitely change, but you can get a peek at some of the characters who will appear.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate and Julia arrive in Belgium to stop Abbadonia's imminent attack on London. Once on the ground, however, the mission may not go as planned...

**Istanbul, Turkey.**

**2 months ago.**

The Bosphorus was calm this morning, and its waves carried a pleasant wind. Safiyah Sohail lounged in the office of her yalı, enjoying a fruit tea to wash down the last of her breakfast. She still hadn't completely readjusted to life in her home city, even after years away from Coryana. How could she? What use was there for a pirate in proper society?

At least her excursion to recover her daughter last month had been _somewhat_ of an adventure. She didn't know how Fatima had gotten mixed in with a global terrorist organization, and didn't much care; Tahani was involved somehow, of course. But as long as her daughter was safe, fine. Fatima was now at İşbank putting her degree to some legitimate use; Safiyah could just make out the building across the channel in the fog.

More interesting had been the discovery of her old lover, Kate Kane, on the same trip. She was acting as some sort of costumed vigilante, the female counterpart of that dreadful "Batman" figure back in America, and going after remnants of the Many Arms of Death. Much like Safiyah herself had been, though for different reasons.

Safiyah had figured that Tahani was no doubt also manipulating Kate, and attempted to help her. All she received in return was rejection and being practically dumped out the back of an airship onto her own patio.

Very well. Kate no longer wanted her, so Safiyah washed her hands of the whole mess. She had a daughter to ease back into society.

The crash of the waves was starting to lull her asleep.

Behind her, a floorboard creaked. Softly, but still loud in the quiet of the house.

Safiyah glanced around.

Tahani stood in the doorway, dressed in a simple dark suit.

"Good morning," she said.

Bile rose in Safiyah's throat; she swallowed it, keeping her expression fixed.

"You're here to kill me, I suppose," she said. "And Fatima as well, for that matter."

"No," Tahani replied. "Just to talk."

Safiyah relaxed back into her seat a bit, swiveling it around.

"I suppose that's comforting," she sighed. "You do many things, Tahani, but you don't lie."

She gestured to a sofa across from her, and Tahani sat. Without asking, Safiyah poured her a tea and left it for her to take.

Tahani added two cubes of sugar from a bowl on a table before her and took a sip. A small grin touched her lips.

"Papaya," she said. The very fruit she had been eating, had _killed_ for, when Safiyah first approached her in the alley of Ibadan all those years ago.

"Call it fortune," Safiyah said. "What do you _want?_ "

Tahani set her cup on the table. "Now that my business is concluded... I wondered if you might have me again."

Safiyah blinked. "Your... _business_ ," she sneered. "Leaving aside that you _broke into my home_ to ask, that's quite a euphemism for the sort of torture you put Kate Kane through."

Tahani rolled her eyes. "Why do you still defend her?"

"Why do you still _hate_ her?" Safiyah shot back. "Do you have no perspective at _all?_ "

"She destroyed Coryana! Brought that filth in her head-"

"Oh, and she _intended_ that, did she?" spat Safiyah. "It was a tragedy, yes... but the only thing Kate Kane was guilty of was being young and stupid. You may as well blame a bolt of lightning for burning down a forest."

Tahani snorted. "I'm sure Maksim finds that comforting."

Safiyah almost winced at that. Poor, brutish Maksim, butchered in front of the Desert Rose as a sacrifice to protect her siren. Absurdly blamed for a _bioattack_ on Coryana, of all things. Why the island as a whole had believed that, she would never know.

"Maksim was a mistake," Safiyah said. "But done for good reason."

"Oh, a _very_ good reason. To protect that _animal_ who all but spelled you away from your duties."

"Away from _you_ , you mean."

Tahani clenched her jaw.

Safiyah smiled and wagged a finger at her. "Yes, _there's_ what it's really about," she said. "You saw what looked to you a weak mainlander, and took that anger, that jealousy, out on her." She leaned forward. "Because you were too much of a _coward_ to confront _me_."

"That's not-"

"You weren't even brave enough to call her out publicly and settle the matter with fists in the courtyard," Safiyah chuckled. "Do you remember that stunt you pulled with the rum? Foolish. You couldn't even _lie_ properly, but then that's to be expected."

Tahani took a deep breath. "I suppose the answer is no, then."

"You suppose correctly. Kate rejected me again, and now I get to pass it on to you... _again_." She smirked bitterly. "Seems like we all get to stay unhappy."

"Very well," Tahani said, and stood.

Safiyah finished her tea. "I'm holding you to your word, you know."

"Oh, I know," said Tahani. She snapped her fingers, and woman entered the office.

Safiyah's mouth fell in shock.

It was Fatima, dressed for work. She wore a blank, trance-like expression on her face... and clutched a dagger.

"Fatima..." Safiyah whispered.

"She cannot hear you," Tahani said. "Not now."

"Damn it all, what did you _do?!_ " Safiyah cried. Her mind raced. Where could she go? Even if she tried to jump from the window, it was fifteen meters straight down onto a patio, with no water close enough...

"You don't get the privilege of knowing that, Safiyah," Tahani said. "Only that you're right... I _don't_ lie."

\----

**20,000 ft. above the Atlantic.**

**Sunday, 1211 Romeo.**

Julia leveled off the aircraft and punched a few buttons on the console in front of her. The ship was now on autopilot.

"All right," she said. "And there..." She tapped a screen. "...is an alarm for 30 minutes until arrival." She sat back. "That's us sorted here."

"Good," Kate said, standing. "We should rest up on the way. I know _I_ need some. You want port or starboard?"

"Before we do that," said Julia, "we need to get something _else_ sorted. I want to try and apologize again."

"I told you, that's over," sighed Kate. "Done. You just did what you thought was right-"

Julia cut her off, raising a hand. "Will you stop with that vapid shite? Just did what I thought was right... for God's sake, Kate. How about what's _actually_ right?"

Kate sat back down, arms folded. "I _was_ willing to forgive and forget on this," she said. "But if you insist..."

Julia took a deep breath. "What else can I say? I was just doing my assignment."

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Are you really gonna try 'just following orders'... on _me?_ "

"You want me to lie? That's the main of it. Batman wants intel on you, fine, whatever. And after the whole thing with Clayface, he expressly told me to inform him when you returned to Gotham. That was all wrong, and I'm sorry."

"Accepted," Kate said. "But that doesn't explain why you were up my ass so much. And all of a sudden."

Julia rubbed her forehead. "I've been in this sorta business a while," she said, gesturing to the general surroundings. "Or was, I guess. Before..." She touched her shirt where she had been impaled in Hong Kong. "You have at least some idea. You gave up your service. I had mine _taken_."

She almost spat the last word.

"Oh, I've been out in the field since then," she continued, "but always I keep getting pulled back into a goddamned comms chair. As if that's all I'm good for. Hell, you know that, or else why offer me fieldwork?"

"So just jealousy, then," Kate said.

Julia shrugged. "Sure, a bit. And that damn island didn't help." Julia looked down. "Or that fuckup of mine with Pyg. But that's only half of it."

"What's the other?"

Julia bit her lip. "This business... it's intense. Busy sorta life, y'know? Even after years, you don't really have time for things normal types get up to. Things like... like being with someone."

Kate's heart sank. _Oh no..._

"It wasn't the main goal, not at all, but I thought..." She looked down again. "I thought maybe our mission might've been a way to _finally_ change that."

 _And now even that door's closed_ , Kate thought. She had read it right, the flicker of Julia's disappointment when she heard about Renee.

"You were scared for me," Kate said. "And not just as a comrade."

Julia nodded. Her eyes were misty.

"Fuckin' hell," Kate said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Poor Julia. Kate herself knew that awful blend of uncertain loneliness, and how it could so easily lead to bad actions, however well-intentioned.

She phrased her next sentence as lightly as possible. "Is this going to cause problems?"

"No," Julia said. "Feels good to get that out." Her face did indeed seem brighter.

"And I'm glad you did," Kate said. "Just a little heavy." She stared out at the clouds racing past, thinking.

An idea hit her.

"Look," she said, "I can't make any promises anything will come of it... but when we get back, I can maybe help set you up with someone. It's the least I can do."

Julia didn't look impressed. "No offense, but I doubt I'd get on with many in your crowd."

"You'd be surprised," Kate said. "Be thinking on it, at least."

Julia sighed. "All right."

"Is there anything else?"

"No, Julia said, with a weak smile. "We're sorted."

"Then I'll see you in a few hours," Kate said, standing. "Port or starboard?"

\----

**Gotham City.**

**R.H. Kane Building.**

**Sunday, 1138 Romeo.**

Jacob thought about how the mood in the apartment had shifted after Kate left. It was a feeling he was familiar with, that odd knotting of the guts when one wasn't certain they would ever see someone again. He had felt it countless times oversees, and about as many times during Kate's patrols. At least then he had monitoring duty to occupy his mind.

Beth had seemed to feel it, too. Her shoulders, light as air, had slumped underneath the arm he hugged her with as the panic room closed.

He looked at her. "You okay?"

"I just... don't like this," Beth said. "This ache. I get it when ever I remember what she does."

"Last night, too?"

She nodded.

Jacob turned his half-hug into a full one, and she returned it.

"I get it," he said. "When she first started out doing this, I was terrified."

Beth looked at him quizzically. "Really?"

"Of course. And it'll always be there, a bit. But not so much anymore."

Beth dropped her arms from the hug. "Because... it's out of our hands?"

"Part of it," Jacob nodded, crossing his arms. "But also because Kate is the best there is at this. I mean it. Past few years, she's damn near singlehandedly saved _millions_ of people's lives."

Beth's eyes widened. "Wow..." she whispered.

"And in far worse situations than this," Jacob continued. He gave a small smile. "I think she can soldier on, don't you?"

A warmth rose in Beth's expression, and she nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Atta girl," Jacob said.

 Below, the front door unlocked and Catherine entered.

"I'm here!" she announced, climbing the stairs. Beth met her with a hug, as did Jacob, adding a kiss.

Her face seemed to fall behind her large sunglasses as she absorbed the scene. "Katie already leave?"

"Just missed her," Jacob said.

Catherine sighed. "That tracks, I suppose." She set her glasses and purse on the dining table and scanned the apartment. Slowly, she nodded.

"It's very... _her_ ," she said.

"Yeah, I know that tone," Jacob teased. "Better get used to it, we might be here a while."

Catherine sat at the dining table. "What exactly _is_ she doing? Or can you say?"

Jacob joined her. "Might as well," he said. "This isn't classified."

\----

**20,000 ft. above Europe.**

**Monday, 0128 Bravo.**

Kate awoke several minutes before the ship's alarm was to sound, feeling fully refreshed. Maybe it was the cool, pressurized air, but she found she typically slept better while flying. All the better; she'd need to be in top form tonight.

She stared at the metal ceiling above her bunk a moment. They were probably somewhere above Portugal or Spain right now. Time to do her regular pre-mission video. Not wanting to be tacky and record it on her phone, she scanned the room for another option.

There was a communications terminal on the wall opposite her, along with a bolted-down office chair. She spotted a lens above the computer screen. Perfect.

She swung out of bed and turned on the terminal, sitting and patting out the wrinkles from her shirt and rubbing the crust from her eyes as she waited.

Touchscreen system. She activated the console's webcam and, since the ship was already linked with her HQ's internal cloud, chose her home system to save the recording to. Jacob would find it, if it came to that.

She pressed the record button on the screen.

\----

_"Hey, everyone. If you're watching this, that means I didn't make it._

_"It sounds weird, but even though these are a sad thing, I usually feel pretty good at the time. Anticipating the mission, I guess. Right now is no different._

_"I also never rehearse these, but even less so now, because we're heading into Europe, almost at the site. It's gonna be quick, but... just understand that I still mean everything, even if_ _it might sound a little flippant. I'm just kinda short on time here. That's why I'm only doing family, so if I skipped you, sorry._

 _"Dad... thank you so much for everything you've done for me, and still do. You're why I started on this whole path, all the way back to joining the Army. You and Mom taught me_ _that life isn't just about me, that serving others is the way to go. I think I've accomplished that._

 _"Thank you for being there for me whenever I needed you, even when it was hard. I know it was hard for a while after I left West Point, but I also know that if __you hadn't accepted me when I came out... well, frankly, I'd probably have been dead a long time ago._  
  
_"If it wasn't clear before, I'm not angry anymore about the stuff we disagreed about. I think it was clear, but just in case, there it is. If not, then I'm sorry I didn't communicate that __sooner. Bottom line is, I couldn't have asked for a better dad. I love you._

 _"Catherine... I know we weren't close. But the same goes for you. I probably wasn't as responsive to it as I should have been, but I know you were there for me too, when I was_ _acting all stupid. Thank you, and I love you, too._

 _"Beth... damn, I have no idea you'll take this. And we still had so much catching up to do. It was beyond unfair the first time, but now twice... anyway._ _I'm so proud of your progress. You've been doing awesome, really. And I know it's hard, but keep that up for me, yeah? Be sad, but also soldier on just like Dad says. Okay?_ _Love you, sis. Be good.  
_

_"Bette... you don't get a free pass to be a vigilante again now, okay? Complete your service. I don't need anyone avenging me or taking up my mantle or whatever._ _And be safe. Wherever I am now, I'd rather not see you there for a long, long time. Hell, that goes for all of you, actually. Love you, Bette. Proud of what you've _ _accomplished. Keep winning those titles.  
_

_"Bruce... don't add me to your library of people to mope about, all right? There are enough of them as it is._

_"But seriously. Thank you for trusting me, in the end. I know that's not easy for you, and I appreciate it more than I can say. Love you, cousin._

_"And last but not least: Renee. I definitely love you. I know you know that, but you deserve to hear it again. I'm sorry we didn't have more time on this new go. But I'm glad we had some. Got to have a nice lunch, at least!_

_"Heh... this is gonna sound presumptuous, but... don't be afraid to find someone else now that I'm gone, because you also deserve to be happy. Don't let me be _ _some kind of ghost that prevents you from having that._

_"So... I think that was it. Dad, we've talked about this kinda situation, so you know what happens next. To all of you... goodbye. For now._

\----

She shut the terminal off and sat back, wiping a bit of mist from her eyes. That had been a good one. Had _felt_ good.

And hopefully, no one would ever see it.

The ship alarm sounded. Time to go to work.

Julia was just exiting her starboard quarters when Kate stepped onto the bridge, now bathed in red light to preserve their night vision. Excellent. They were both primed for action.

"Got your last will all done?" Kate asked.

"Before I went to sleep," replied Julia. "You?"

"Just now. Only had time for family. Hope that's okay."

Julia sat in the pilot's seat. "Not like _I'll_ see it," she said. "If you snuff it, I'll be right there with you."

Kate nodded in appreciation as she took the copilot's seat. "Let's have a look at where exactly we're going," she said.

"Righto."

Julia typed commands into a nearby console, and then a holographic satellite map appeared, overlaid on the windscreen.

"Right at the center there," Julia said.

Kate studied the map. No real cover, and suburbs disconcertingly close.

"Not ideal, is it?" she said.

"No."

"What's the scale?"

"Whole complex is about 180 meters east-west."

"Damn," Kate said. From almost any angle, they would have to approach over about a football field's worth of ground, at _least_ , without any cover.

"I'm guessing you don't want to take a direct route?" asked Julia.

"Hell no. If Abbadonia has others with her, and they have night vision... or even just if _she_ does..."

"And those big fields are mined for all we know."

"Exactly," Kate said. That would have taken much time, but as far as they knew, the owners of that house were dead. Or on vacation. Or even nonexistent.

 _Hell, as far as we know, that's Abbadonia's house_ , Kate thought. They simply didn't have the intel.

"And no rappelling in?" Julia asked.

Kate shook her head. "I don't like the look of that alley," she said, indicating the strip of pavement between the two rows of buildings. "That's a clear shooting gallery, and anyone there can just as easily aim up."

"I'm with you," Julia said.

Kate leaned forward. "Zoom in some more?"

More typing from Julia, and the complex filled the screen.

"Those long buildings," Kate said, pointing. "Stables? Barns?"

"Maybe," said Julia. "That's where I'd expect the launcher. Northwest building's pretty clearly a house. Two-story."

"Mmm-hmm. Logical place for anyone to be staying. Probable height advantage, watches the road..." She shook her head again; too great a risk for snipers. "Let's not go that way."

"No," Julia agreed. She pointed to a lobe of trees at the eastern side of the buildings that dipped down relatively close. "What about this here?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah, I like that, too. Lot closer, doesn't seem like it's near a main building." She pointed to a separate building located on a brown rectangular patch of ground, spaced almost equally east-west along the main row of buildings and north-south between the complex and a set of woods. "Here, too. That at least gives us a bit of cover."

Julia sat back and looked at her. "So what's the plan?"

"Zoom back out."

Julia did, and Kate pointed to a triangular spot of ground north of the complex, near the woods. "If we don't see anything new when we get there, we'll set down here. Split up and head south through the woods until we hit this Schrieken road, one of us to each side of that outbuilding. That'll give us a better view of the situation, and we'll adjust from there."

Julia nodded. "Sounds good."

"Then let's get geared up."

\----

Minutes later, they had dressed, applying camouflage face paint and donning ballistic vests, gloves, holsters, knee pads, radios and headsets, NVGs, and black ball caps. Next came weapons.

Kate pulled out the two cases containing her M4s. "Might as well match," she said.

"Fine by me," said Julia. She took the closer case and began opening it, but Kate put a hand on the lid.

Julia looked up.

"If we _have_ to kill her," Kate said, "or anyone else... you gonna tattle to Bruce again?"

"Hey, _I_ packed the standard rounds, didn't I?"

Kate nodded. "All right. Just so we're on the same page." Hopefully that wouldn't be necessary, but they had to be prepared.

She opened her own case, spotting four loaded magazines nestled in their foam cutouts. One was wrapped in red electrical tape.

"Those are the red ones, then?" she asked.

"Right," said Julia. "The rest are rubber."

They stored their rifle ammunition, for now, in pockets on their vests, and did the same for their sidearm magazines. After attaching suppressors for both guns, holstering her pistol, and clipping a knife to her belt, Kate found the case for her gauntlets and put them on over her shirt, letting her rifle hang on its sling. The sleeves bunched underneath the gauntlet, as they weren't skintight, but the fit was still snug.

Julia gave a small grin. "Couldn't leave her behind, eh?"

"Not my fault these are so useful," Kate said. Using the capacitive interface built into the housing, she set the display mode to red and activated the hard light projectors on her left gauntlet. A glowing UI, about two feet across, hovered a few inches above her forearm.

Julia looked impressed. "I didn't know they did _that_."

"Yep. Linked to the ship too," Kate said. She brought up a live feed from the nose-mounted camera.

The ship had slowed considerably as it neared the farm, and now it was little more than hovering, still a half-kilometer away. But it was enough to see the place was dark. Nothing on infrared, nor when she switched to thermal.

"No changes, then," said Julia.

"Right." Kate cleared the projection. "Red and Tuxedo for callsigns again?"

"Fine by me."

"Then I'll set us down."

She accessed the ship's autopilot controls and entered the coordinates for their landing zone. A small rumble beneath their feet as the engines kicked up.

Kate offered her hand, and Julia shook it, leaning in for an embrace.

"Get back safe," Kate said, returning the hug.

"You as well."

The ship touched down with a soft thump. Julia hit the exit ramp button, and it whined down. Only a sliver of exterior lights from an unrelated pair of residences just north of the compound broke through the trees. The visual reminded Kate, vaguely, of her final training mission in Pripyat, where she had made her way into the abandoned city only using moonlight to guide her through the woods.

Once she pulled down her night vision goggles, Kate lead the way down the ramp.

"I'll take the easternmost position," Julia said, once she had disembarked.

Kate nodded. "Right behind you." Julia jogged off into the woods while Kate knelt. She typed in another command on her arm, and soon the airship rose, still cloaked, to 20 feet in the air. No risk of it getting stumbled upon now. She took note of the time: 0157 hours.

After making a quick scan of the area, Kate loaded her rifle and turned east to follow Julia. At the treeline, she could just make her out, about 20 yards ahead.

Once inside, Kate paused to listen to the woods, getting a baseline. Typical stuff, insects and the occasional bird. Nothing from Julia.

She continued south at a shallow angle, fox-walking to hide her footsteps. Once 10 yards in and the same down, she paused again and brought her headset mic closer to her mouth.

"Red to Tuxedo," Kate whispered. "Radio check, over."

"Red, you are good and readable, over," came the reply. Julia was right; Kate also heard a bit of noise on the channel. Not ideal, but far from unworkable.

"Copy, Tuxedo. Same here. Red out."

Forward again, slowly and silently, her head panning left and right to make up for the narrow view in her goggles. The lights by the houses, which Kate could now see were part of some garage or large shed, were the only thing to really gauge her movement by. Soon, even they were behind her.

After several more minutes, the trees ahead began to clear up. The road was close.

"Tuxedo to Red. In position, over."

Kate crossed the road and crouched, right at the treeline. "Copy, Tuxedo. Just getting there now."

"Roger. Tuxedo out."

There was the outbuilding to her right. Up close, it seemed to be a sort of stall for smaller farm equipment; Kate spotted a tractor tire poking above a ledge.

Scanning left, Kate could just make out one of the farm's long buildings. Still not clear exactly what it was.

"Tuxedo, are you seeing _anything_ , over?"

"Well, ah, roger," Julia said. "We have company. I count eight, maybe 100 meters southwest of me. Looks like friendlies, over."

Kate frowned, surprised. "Awful fast, Tuxedo," she said. "And quiet. Maybe... SFG? Over." Belgium's own Special Forces Group would be the most likely guess. They hadn't expected anyone else to be here so soon, only about 13 hours since Abbadonia's tape was made public, so good on them. Then again, "made public" was the key phrase there.

"Good guess, Red. Does look like they have SCARs, over."

"Copy, Tuxedo. You're more familiar with radios over here. Find me their signal, and I'll run decryption if need be, over."

"Roger, Red. Out."

Kate sighed. This was certainly a curveball, and would get ugly fast if they weren't careful. But if they could join forces...

Suddenly, a high-pitched series of uninterrupted beeps and squawks filled her ears.

"Think I found them, Red," said Julia.

"Copy," Kate replied. Once more on her gauntlet, she patched in the signal through to the airship's computers.

The decryption took all of 46 seconds, and soon the electronic cacophony gave way to a gentler hiss of white noise.

"Ik zie niets in huis, Alpha." A new voice in her ear, male.

"Worked, Red," said Julia. "And definitely SFG. That was Dutch, over."

"Copy, Tuxedo. Any idea what he said?"

"They're not seeing anything in the house, I think. And Alpha's probably the... lieutenant colonel, I think it is."

"Copy, that's good. Let's introduce ourselves. I don't want us getting shot, over."

"And how do you want to do that?"

"Easier if I explain in person. Standby, I'll be right there."

Kate stood and, after returning to the road, jogged east while hugging the trees.

\----

"Got all that?" Kate asked a couple minutes later, after she had explained the plan.

Julia sighed and adjusted her cap, running a hand through her hair. "Yes. Risky, but it can work."

"Okay, then. Get their attention."

As Julia switched to the SFG's channel, Kate took the opportunity to scan this angle of the compound herself. The house on her right, looking surprisingly small and surrounded by a tall hedge. Another large building just to its left; perhaps _another_ house? Or was _that_ the main house? The complete lack of activity, even at such an hour, was beginning to bother her.

"Pardon de vous interrompre," Julia said, "mais il y a alliés à proximité. A vous."

A long silence followed.

"Qui est à l'appareil?" said a new voice. "Identifiez-vous."

"Alliés," Julia repeated. "Britainniques. Parlez-vous anglais?"

A pause. "Yes."

"This is Tuxedo," said Julia. "Am I speaking to Alpha right now?"

"Roger, Tuxedo. You are. Who are you with? Over."

"I can't say on the radio, Alpha. Never know who might be listening."

Kate bit the inside of her lip to keep from grinning.

"We're not here to get in the way, Alpha," Julia continued. "We should meet face-to-face and get this worked out, over."

A long pause.

"How many of you? Over."

"Just two, over."

Another pause.

"Where are you now, over?"

"Just north of the farm, in the trees, over."

Yet another long pause.

"Tuxedo, you and your partner come to the eastern edge of those woods, hands raised. You know the road that runs through here, Mertensstraat?"

"Roger that, Alpha."

"There are trees on the other side, shaped like an L. You will cross Mertensstraat and wait there. Two of our men will meet you. And just so you know, I very much don't like this."

"Roger, Alpha. We don't either, but the sooner we get this sorted, the better. We're on our way now. Out."

Julia safetied her rifle and slung it onto her shoulder. "Well, then," she sighed.

Kate did the same. "Let's meet our new friends."

\----

They crossed the road at an easy pace, at twice an arm's length from each other, not wanting to appear aggressive even with their hands raised. The whole way, Kate felt an imaginary IR laser tickling the left side of her head, waited for that single footstep that would trigger a mine. What an ending either of _those_ would be.

But they made it to the designated clearing without incident, and stopped once the lower bar of the L of trees gave them cover from the house.

From that same bar stepped two compact men in heavy tactical gear and armor, each aiming a SCAR at them. Kate felt her heartbeat increase, but nothing else. Despite how it looked, these were allies. Professionals, as well. She and Julia both knew how to talk to these sorts of people, so there was nothing, really, to fear from them. They just had to be believable with their cover story.

"On your knees," one of the soldiers ordered, and they obeyed, dry grass crunching under them. The soldiers stopped eight feet away, rifles still raised.

"Alpha, we have them, over," the other, taller one said into his radio. The response wasn't audible.

The other stepped closer and nudged Kate's rifle with his foot. "Didn't you say you were British?"

"Yes," Kate said, putting on a Yorkshire accent. "Special Reconnaissance Regiment."

That was the crux of the plan: leaning on Julia's own experiences and providing some plausible deniability. If the pair of them really _had_ been with the SRR, their weapons wouldn't be a giveaway to their nationality in the event they were captured or killed, especially if they were supposed to be acting unofficially.

Now the SFG just needed to buy it.

"No one told us you would be here," said the shorter soldier.

"Same with us," Kate said. "But what else is new, eh?"

The soldiers chuckled a bit, but still didn't appear convinced.

"You are Tuxedo, then?" asked the taller one.

"I am," Julia said.

"And you are with the SAS?"

 _Tricky_ , Kate thought.

"No, SRR," Julia said. "Special Reconnaissance Regiment. Call them up if you want, but they're not going to tell you we're here, because we're not _supposed_ to be, understand?"

"Why would they do that?"

"Mate, Abbadonia threatened _London_. For _this morning._ We _had_ to scramble, you understand? No time to go through all the official shite."

"Why are you using American equipment?"

"Are you listening?" said Julia. "We're _not supposed to be here_. Surely you understand _that_."

The soldiers didn't let up."Those things on your arms," the shorter one asked Kate. "What are they?"

"Sorry, that's classified," she said.

"Is it how you decrypted our transmissions?"

" _Classified_."

"What is your name and rank?"

"Names are classified, both of us," said Julia. "I'm a captain."

"What about you?" they asked Kate.

"Lieutenant," she said, making sure to pronounce it correctly.

"You're _certain_ you're not Americans?" said the shorter one. "One of you isn't that American vigilante she mentioned?"

Kate scoffed. "Do we look like we're wearing Halloween costumes?"

The tall one leaned into his radio. "They have, Alpha," he said, answering an unheard question. "British SRR, they say. Here _unofficially_ , using American rifles and such. Over."

"We mean that part about unofficial," Julia said. "You _cannot_ tell anyone else we were here."

The soldiers ignored her. As they listened to the response, however, their expressions grew more concerned, apparent even behind their NVGs. They glanced up quickly, looking southeast.

Kate's mouth went dry. Something was happening at the farm. She and Julia exchanged their own glance.

The soldiers listened a moment more.

"Roger, Alpha," the tall one said. He motioned for the women to stand, and as they did, another soldier jogged toward them out of the trees.

"What's happening?" Kate asked.

"She's moving," said the shorter soldier. "And we can't stay here with you. So Alpha has decided, against his better judgment, to send you with us in Fireteam Bravo."

 _Well, it all worked out in the end, at least_ , Kate thought.

"More than fair," Julia said. "You won't regret it."

"I sincerely hope not," the tall one said. "You two are in front, Bravo Four and Bravo Five." He pointed at Julia and Kate, respectively. "Bravo Two and Bravo Three," he continued, indicating the shorter soldier and the new arrival, and finally pointed at himself. "Bravo Leader."

"Understood," Julia said. She and Kate set their radios back to the SFG frequency.

"We're going for the northern equipment shed," said Bravo Leader. "You know it?"

"Yes," said Julia. "The outbuilding?"

"That's right. We'll come from the trees on Schrieken. Go now. We'll be right behind you."

Julia took off in a jog back toward the road, and Kate followed. Now she had a view of what the soldiers had seen moments ago: a light on in the larger of the two houses, top floor. The first sign of life at the farm all night.

Back on Schrieken, Bravo Leader gave the order to halt once they arrived in line with the outbuilding. The group crouched. Kate and Julia slowly took their rifles from their shoulders to join their Belgian comrades in taking aim at the compound, and when they weren't prevented from doing so, Kate took it as a good sign.

Still dark, and no movement. Kate glanced at the house; the light had gone out.

"You two," said Bravo Leader. "Any information you can share?"

"We haven't even been here thirty minutes," Julia said. "And like I said, we had to move fast. We probably don't know any more than you about the layout."

"The launcher, then? We weren't able to tell."

"It's a HIMARS," Kate answered. "Not sure of the armament. But it'll need a fair bit of space to work."

"Unless she doesn't care about the backblast destroying a building," Bravo Leader grumbled. "Still, that's helpful."

"Your turn," Kate said. "You knew this here was a shed. Anything else?"

Bravo Leader sighed. "The long building there is a chicken house," he said, pointing southeast. "Nothing there, most likely. Another house just east. The one between the chicken house and the main house is a small power plant."

"So that's just the long southern barn, then," Julia said.

"Yes," said Bravo Leader. "And what may be another house or power plant. Right now, the long barn is the best option."

Alpha's voice crackled over their radios. "Fireteam Bravo, we are in position at the main house. Waiting for you to confirm the launcher, over."

"Copy," said Bravo Leader. "Moving now." He looked at the group. "Inverted wedge formation. Two and Four, you're left flank, east wall. Three and Five, right flank, west wall. I'll be at the north wall. Any questions?"

No one had any.

"Advance."

In unison, they took off in a quick, quiet walk toward the shed, crouched and spread out in a V roughly 30 yards wide. The musky, mingled odor of diesel fuel and fertilizer met them as they approached and brought the two flanks of the V into the walls, as if wrapping the building. Once in position, Kate others peered over the exposed walls and scanned the interior.

Clear.

Bravo Leader moved toward the front.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like before, I'm adding this chapter piecemeal, not all at once.
> 
> If I got the Dutch and French wrong, please let me know what's correct.


End file.
